Jar City (Reykjavik Murder Mysteries 1)
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Review
"A fascinating window on an unfamiliar world as well as an original and puzzling mystery."
--Val McDermid
"A chilling read."
"--The Times"
"A chilling Icelandic saga of the DNA age. This careful, sparsely-written book operates at a deeper level than most crime fiction."
"--Independent"
"Highly recommended... thoroughly gripping... impressively moving."
--"Time Out"
--Val McDermid
"A chilling read."
"--The Times"
"A chilling Icelandic saga of the DNA age. This careful, sparsely-written book operates at a deeper level than most crime fiction."
"--Independent"
"Highly recommended... thoroughly gripping... impressively moving."
--"Time Out"
Book Description
A fascinating window on an unfamiliar world as well as an original and puzzling mystery - Val McDermid
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
69 of 71 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
One of my major problems with many police procedurals is that the plots often go completely off the deep end and become wildly improbable messes (among Scandinavian authors, I think Henning Mankell is frequently guilty of this). So, it's somewhat refreshing to come across a relatively straightforward story like this award-winning series debut from Iceland. In it, we are introduced to Detective Inspector Erlendur, a classic 50ish, divorced, rumpled, morose, tactless, and running-to-seed character who nonetheless possesses the requisite instinct to be a top detective. Although he lacks some of the perfunctory traits often assigned to such characters (for example, he isn't a gourmand, or jazz aficionado, or anything like that), he's very much in the mold of Sejer, Rebus, Resnick, and other such policemen protagonists.
We meet Erlendur as he is called in to investigate the apparent murder of an elderly man in Reykjavik. It doesn't take long for the police to discover that the old man was a nasty character who had been accused of rape almost 40 years ago. With little to go on, other than the possibility that it was a random break-in gone wrong, Erlendur leads his team deep into the past, to try and uncover who might have had a motive for killing the old man. The further they dig, the more nasty secrets they uncover, and the more they must engage in very uncomfortable interviews that dredge up hidden pain. The plot and solution hinge on an aspect of Icelandic society that is rather unique, and it's nice to see the author taking advantage of this to good effect. Another subplot (which is rather extraneous) involves a runaway bride, and meanwhile, Erlendur must also try to deal with his drug addict daughter who flits in and out of his life. Their relationship is quite interesting, and possibly the most compelling reason to seek out the next book in the series (Silence of the Grave).
In terms of supporting characters, Erlendur's two main colleagues fail to leave much of an impression: there's the yuppie Sigurdur Óli, and Elínborg, whose main trait is that she's a woman. Hopefully they will be developed a good deal more in subsequent books, as will Erlendur's mysterious mentor Marion. Having been to Iceland for a few days several years ago, I certainly recognized the bleak weather and its constant presence in the lives of the characters. However, it would have been nice to get a little more description of Reykjavik, which is a very interesting looking place, and its people. There's not a lot of local color, and the result is a setting that is at times rather anonymous. The overall tone of the book is somewhat sad and bleak. Overall, an solid and interesting debut, but not anything that's going to blow you away.
We meet Erlendur as he is called in to investigate the apparent murder of an elderly man in Reykjavik. It doesn't take long for the police to discover that the old man was a nasty character who had been accused of rape almost 40 years ago. With little to go on, other than the possibility that it was a random break-in gone wrong, Erlendur leads his team deep into the past, to try and uncover who might have had a motive for killing the old man. The further they dig, the more nasty secrets they uncover, and the more they must engage in very uncomfortable interviews that dredge up hidden pain. The plot and solution hinge on an aspect of Icelandic society that is rather unique, and it's nice to see the author taking advantage of this to good effect. Another subplot (which is rather extraneous) involves a runaway bride, and meanwhile, Erlendur must also try to deal with his drug addict daughter who flits in and out of his life. Their relationship is quite interesting, and possibly the most compelling reason to seek out the next book in the series (Silence of the Grave).
In terms of supporting characters, Erlendur's two main colleagues fail to leave much of an impression: there's the yuppie Sigurdur Óli, and Elínborg, whose main trait is that she's a woman. Hopefully they will be developed a good deal more in subsequent books, as will Erlendur's mysterious mentor Marion. Having been to Iceland for a few days several years ago, I certainly recognized the bleak weather and its constant presence in the lives of the characters. However, it would have been nice to get a little more description of Reykjavik, which is a very interesting looking place, and its people. There's not a lot of local color, and the result is a setting that is at times rather anonymous. The overall tone of the book is somewhat sad and bleak. Overall, an solid and interesting debut, but not anything that's going to blow you away.
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having just finished the Kurt Wallender series of novels by Henning Mankell I was looking for a series of similar ilk to sink my teeth into. I read that the author of Jar City has won several awards for his novels and having been to Iceland I thought I would give this series a try.
I have no problems with the plot. The story is very well told and remains a mystery until the very end. It also manages to weave in some very controversial issues that were very current at the time of writing in Iceland. However, a good plot alone does not make a novel.
I have two main criticisms of Jar City. Firstly, that there is not much in the way of landscape descriptions. A lot of people read Scandinavian crime thrillers as they are cut from a different cloth from those written in the UK and add an element of the unknown. I got none of this in Jar City, for the most part it could have been a detective novel written in Edinburgh or Oxford. Secondly, I felt that the characterisation was very poor and as a result don't know very much about them.
Overall, a very good plot that is let down by some poor characterisation and lack of description of place.
I have no problems with the plot. The story is very well told and remains a mystery until the very end. It also manages to weave in some very controversial issues that were very current at the time of writing in Iceland. However, a good plot alone does not make a novel.
I have two main criticisms of Jar City. Firstly, that there is not much in the way of landscape descriptions. A lot of people read Scandinavian crime thrillers as they are cut from a different cloth from those written in the UK and add an element of the unknown. I got none of this in Jar City, for the most part it could have been a detective novel written in Edinburgh or Oxford. Secondly, I felt that the characterisation was very poor and as a result don't know very much about them.
Overall, a very good plot that is let down by some poor characterisation and lack of description of place.
60 of 64 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Indridason has amassed quite a collection of credentials even before this, his English language debut, which is sure to bring him even more. This novel won The Glass Key Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the year when it was published. Very good, but nothing new - so have Henning Mankell, Peter Hoeg and Karin Fossum, among others. However, he also won the same award the following year, with the follow-up to this book, Lady in Green. It was not only the first time any author had ever won two years in a row, but also the first time any author had even won it twice, ever. Indridason also has the accolade of having had, during one week in April 2003, FIVE of his novels on the Icelandic Top Ten Bestseller Lists. He has also been compared to Henning Mankell - which, if true, is going to be very pleasing indeed.
It's not quite of the Mankell class, (then, what is), but Jar City (the title does become clear), is a very good crime novel indeed. It seems clear to me that, right now, the place to look for excellent crime fiction is Europe, for several reasons. One is simply the sense of freshness there is to it all, and the insight into other cultures. Another is the fact that almost all fiction from the continent (or Iceland!) is notably free of clichés of any sort; at least clichés that are held in the English crime writing world. Again, that's all true of this excellent novel, which centres around the investigation into the murder of an elderly man in his Reykjavik flat. He had almost no friends (one of them is in prison, the other disappeared 25 years ago), and he himself was accused of rape many years ago, though the case was dismissed due to a lack of evidence. Although he was guilty. The only clues that the investigators find are a photograph of a young girl's grave, and a cryptic note left by the killer.
I enjoyed this book very much indeed, for many reasons. The plot is absolutely terrific, first of all. It's new, it moves nice and briskly (Indridason's excellent at moving the plot along), it's enigmatic and puzzling, and most of all there are sections of it that are very moving indeed. Jar City, as others have pointed out, is very sad at times, rather desolate and affecting. Which is a good thing, of course. It's also written excellently, with a very spare style - there's not a loose or unnecessary word. At times, coupled with the fact that it moves quickly (and is a pretty short book anyway), you may get the sense at times that the plot's a little underdeveloped in patches, but by the end this certainly isn't so. For such a slim, well-paced, sparely written novel, the plot becomes rather surprisingly, and satisfyingly complex (not, however, complicated - it never becomes convoluted, just important, and twisty.)
As I say, I enjoyed it tremendously and would recommend it to all crime fans, especially those that have already discovered the delights of European fiction, and Mankell in particular. It's excellent. Now I shall begin the wait for a second novel next year.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Icelanding Mysteries
I have to confess that my sudden enthusiasm for Icelandic mysteries came about after a 2/3 day business trip to Rekjavik, where the trip from airport to the city kind of... Read more
Published 28 days ago by Flying Scotsman
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After reading the Larsson trilogy and all of Nesbo's books, I thought I'd give Indridason a chance and I'm glad I did. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Martin.
Basic story, no substance
I decided to read this book as I have just finished the Wallander series and was looking for something new. I came across this book so I thought I'd give it a go. Read more
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I read this after finishing the Millennium Trilogy and coming to the conclusion that all Scandinavian writers must be phenomenal. Read more
Published 3 months ago by joevascotia
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Arnaldur Indridason's opener in the Erlendur series is a cracking piece of writing and storytelling. Read more
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Unusual but fascinating plot
This novel kept me interested throughout. The location was just that bit different. The characters were believable. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Geordielass
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Powerful. The language is stark and uncompromising in the style of the old sagas. As I am otherwise unfamiliar with modern Icelandic writing I do not know if this is typical but if... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Doublecross
Icelandic Murder
Erlendur the detective is not an alcohlic, but he does smoke a lot. Presumably this helps with the stench from all the dead bodies he has to deal with. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Siouxie
Jar City
Arrived very promptly and in good order. The fact I was disappointed with the reading contents is neither here nor there!
Published 9 months ago by Mo
An Emotional Journey
I have read a number of crime novels over the years with Rankin still my favorite. I have also read a number of the Scandinavian authors such as Mankell and recently Nesbo. Read more
Published 9 months ago by John Jones
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